Dec 30, 2022 14 min read Digital 52: Global Coworking Stories

Digital 52 1️⃣4️⃣ - Remote Work, Rural Coworking, Working with the local government, Growing a positive impact, Discover Morino-Office.

What kind of impact can coworking spaces have on rural areas? How can rural coworking spaces develop a sustainable business model? Keep reading to get some clarity and inspiration on the topic through the story of Morino-Office.

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Their Tags in the book
Market Education - Positive Impact- Remote and Rural Spaces

Read the story of Morino-Office on page 180 of “Around The World in 250 Coworking Spaces”.

Like all the digital52 stories you’ve been reading so far, today’s story was chosen with care. But, compared to the 13 previous ones you’ve received, this one is slightly different because it is the last one for the year 2022. Over the last 14 weeks, we’ve taken you to big cities like Berlin, Barcelona, and Paris, as well as second-tier cities like Minneapolis and Gdansk. Digital52 started with a story about rural coworking in Norway and we thought, the best way to end this chapter of 2022 would be by highlighting yet another rural story (a hot topic it seems) but this time from… Japan.

We’ve actually had the chance to visit Morino-Office, the featured space of today, on two occasions. The first time was during a hot summer day, one that took us on a beautiful train ride from Tokyo to Fujimi, the town where Morino-Office is based. The second time we visited Yoshio and his team was in December 2019, 3 years ago. That time, Morino-Office had grown with the introduction of Morino-Living. It’s a coliving space targeted at people eager to give remote work a try, offering them a chance to experience both coworking and coliving at the same time.

As you’ll soon discover, Morino-Office’s story is one of passion, dedication, and resilience. One that took courage, a bit of boldness, and maybe a bit of candor. What pushed Yoshio to start a rural coworking space in Japan, back in 2015, when remote work and coworking were far down on the future of work agenda of the country? The answer is below.

➡️ A little refresher

Who’s behind the featured space?

With the support of the Fujimi town government, Morino-Office was brought to life by Yoshio Tsuda and his teammates Ayaka Matsui and Yo Watanabe. Keep reading to discover how their partnership with the local government took shape.